Dirt Bug

You have to be paying attention, when walking around the East Village, to see dirt bugs.

Fortunately, East Village Today pays very close attention!

Behold, as seen in Orchard Alley community garden on East 4th Street:

Dirt bug.

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

Some people call them Roly Polies, other people call them Pill Bugs, still other people call them Doodle Bugs. Their Latin name is Armadillidiidae.

Insect armadillos!

#eastvillage #dirtbugs #orchardalley #communitygardens #armadillidiidae #4thstreet

Too Late

It looks like this East Villager put their sign out too late this year, on East 9th Street:

Too late.

Here is a close-up, in case you can't read the above:

Close-up.

Maybe if the sign said "THEY ARE FOR ALL OF US TO ENJOY", the flowers would still be there — East Villagers don't understand bad grammar!

#eastvillage #signs #9thstreet #grammar

Black Basketball

I was walking past This Place, on East 2nd Street, one month ago to this very day, when I saw, of all things, a black basketball!

Behold:

A black basketball.

Black and green, to be precise.

This Place always has something going on!

#eastvillage #thisplace #2ndstreet #basketball

A Peek Inside

The contents of the garbage storage area on East 2nd Street, outside the beloved Meltzer Towers Senior Center, has always been a closely-guarded secret, until now!

Behold:

A peek inside.

Take a good look — this door might never be open again!

#eastvillage #garbagestoragearea #2ndstreet #meltzertowersseniorcenter

Free Plates

East Villagers don't like to throw away anything; at the same time, they don't like to be hoarders either!

Rather than throwing away these unwanted, last-of-the-set plates, this Enviro-Villager put them into a cardboard box and put the box outside, for some freegan to take:

Plates in a box.

Here are the plates in context:

In context.

Putting them on a baluster is not a good idea — some heedless East Villager could bump into them and knock them off!

#eastvillage #2ndstreet #abandonedplates #balusters #freegans

Big Ugly Mess

Some times when you're walking around the East Village, you come upon something which can only be described as a big, ugly mess.

Such was the case when I was walking across East 3rd Street, one month ago to this very day:

Big ugly mess.

(I don't think it's stopped raining in all this time!)

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

Surely this couldn't have come from the beloved Root & Bone! They're… beloved!

#eastvillage #3rdstreet #rootandbone #trash

Rhubarb

It's not always easy to grow your own fruits and vegetables in the community gardens of the East Village — some gardens don't allow it, and the ones that do have limited space, and a waiting list of people who want plots.

Why wait, when you can grow your food in a tree bed?!

Behold this rhubarb, outside the beloved El Jardin del Paraiso, on East 4th Street:

Rhubarb.

Just remember to not eat the leaves — they're poisonous, and probably pee'd on!

#eastvillage #communitygardens #eljardindelparaiso #rhubarb #treebeds

Rainbows On The Sidewalk

One of the unintended benefits of riding Citibikes can be seen when checking out a bike in the early morning hours.

Behold:

Rainbows on the sidewalk.

Rainbows on the sidewalk!

I'll bet these rainbows can be seen on the street when a Citibikee pedals by — it's not safe to look while riding though!

#eastvillage #citibike #rainbows #sidewalks

Car With Wonky License Plate Parked On Sidewalk

The first thing I noticed about this car, parked on the sidewalk on East 7th Street, was the wonky, out-of-place license plate:

Wonky and out-of-place.

Here is a side shot:

Side shot.

I guess the idea is to preserve the integrity of the BMW front-end, but when someone backs into it while parking, and bends the license plate into the metal, it will probably be worse!

These gizmos were not meant for people who park on the sidewalk!

#eastvillage #7thstreet #bmw #cars #licenseplate #sidewalks #wonky

WWSLD?

What would Spike Lee do if he lived in the East Village, had a dog, and it pooped on the sidewalk in front of Secret Garden on East 4th Street at Avenue C?

Secret Garden.

He would pick up his dog's poo!

Do the right thing.

In this case, that means taking a re-purposed plastic bag out of the re-purposed plastic milk carton and using it to pick up the poo!

Here is a close-up of the inside of the milk carton:

Close-up.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if some bird doesn't build a nest in that bottle — East Villagers will get a nasty peck on the hand for their efforts!

#eastvillage #4thstreet #avenuec #dogpoop #secretgarden #spikelee